Montlake Fill, Seattle, August 2014

Even familiar sites can hide little treasures and today I was treated to a Barred Owl on a boardwalk in a small area of swampy woodland to the west of Montlake Fill. Google Earth prefers the prettier name of Union Bay Natural Area (cut and paste the coordinates to fly there; 47 39 20.91N 122 17 33.09W), but there is no getting away from the reserve’s grubby beginnings as a rubbish dump.

The bus had dropped me at the to the south of Montlake Cut where I crossed the bridge, and turned right, following the road around the back of the Huskies’ Stadium. Banded Kingfishers cackled as they flew up and down the cut, Ruby-throated Hummingbirds still showed off with display flights and a Peregrine Falcon watched disdainfully from the structure of the stadium.

Keeping the water of Union Bay to my right, I continued around the boathouse where a Pied-billed Grebe was catching fish and followed the dirt road to a small bridge that crosses onto the parking area.

A circular path describes a route around the reserve taking in scrubby bushes, reedbeds, small shallow ponds and wildflower verges. American Goldfinches enjoyed the seedheads of the flowers along the path and I spent a long time convincing myself about a Yellow Warbler.

I was hoping that the reedbeds might produce a Marsh Wren, but had to settle for a House Wren. Little did I know at the time that the House Wren was by far the more significant bird and it provoked a questioning email from  eBird.

A Bald Eagle flew low across the water and pulled up in a tree on the far side.

The day was warm and dragonflies patrolled the water’s edge of the small ponds. I believe these ones to be male and female Shadow Darners, Aeshna umbrosa, but am open to suggestions if you know better.

At this time a lady birder passed by and kindly told me of a Barred Owl that had swooped past her as she walked through Yesler Swamp. I was not familiar with Yesler Swamp, so she generously showed me the way and helped me to find the owl which was tucked in amongst the willows.

A raised walkway passes through the swampy woodland and ends at a small platform overlooking a small bay which apparently holds masses of wildfowl during the winter. Ospreys passed over and one stopped on a large dead tree.

Another path, the East Trail will eventually be linked by the boardwalk, but for today, I employed the more traditional ground-level. Western Tanager, Steller’s Jay and Banded Pigeon all added to the list from Yesler’s Swamp, the entrance to which can be seen at Google Earth ref; 47 39 28.73N 122 17 17.77W.

Bird list for Montlake Fill

Canada Goose 40, Wood Duck 2, Mallard 35, Pied-billed Grebe 10, Double-crested Cormorant 4, Great Blue Heron 6, Osprey 2, Bald Eagle 1, Peregrine Falcon 1, American Coot 6, Spotted Sandpiper 2, Band-tailed Pigeon 2, Barred Owl 1, Anna’s Hummingbird 14, Belted Kingfisher 2, Northern Flicker 1, American Crow 10, Steller’s Jay 1, Violet-green Swallow 1, Barn Swallow 25, Black-capped Chickadee 20, Bushtit 30, Bewick’s Wren 3, House Wren 1, American Robin 1, European Starling 20, Cedar Waxwing 2, Yellow Warbler 1, Spotted Towhee 1, Savannah Sparrow 1, Song Sparrow 8, White-crowned Sparrow 4, Dark-eyed Junco 1, Western Tanager 1, Red-winged Blackbird 5.

Bus number 255 is an express service taking just 11 minutes from downtown Seattle at Westlake Transit Mall. The stop for Huskies’ Stadium is on the central reservation of a freeway, so ask the driver to call the stop. Express buses 311 and 545 pass the same stop.

The freeway was closed on my return and no traffic was getting through, so I had to catch bus from the bridge (Google Earth ref; 47 38 38.42n 122 18 15.41W) which takes the more sedate route along 24^rd Ave.

Previous posts from Montlake Fill can be seen at the links below;
http://redgannet.blogspot.co.uk/2009/12/montlake-fill-seattle.html
http://redgannet.blogspot.co.uk/2009/07/last-night-i-took-quick-run-down-to.html

Please visit the dedicated USA andCanada Page for more posts from Seattle, including; Discovery Park and Bremerton Ferry.
Birding, Birdwatching, Seattle.

Discovery Park, Seattle, August 2014

My beautiful colleague, Jennifer, joined me for a late afternoon walk around Discovery Park to the northwest of Seattle and experienced one of the slowest starts to a bird walk, ever. No birds were seen on the journey, which started me worrying and we were still birdless 20 minutes after stepping from the bus in the park. The park can boast one of the highest species count in the area as it has mature woodland, meadows, scrub and the beach on Puget Sound, but they seemed reluctant to be spotted today..

We had taken the path that cuts into the deep, dark woods close to the bus stop at Google Earth ref; 47 39 52.30N 122 24 39.68W, hoping to find a Barred Owl for which the park is well known. Eventually a muted “dee, dee, dee” drew our attention to a Black-capped Chickadee and a small feeding flock of Chestnut-backed Chickadees and Brown Creepers with a few Cedar Waxwings a little higher up.

In a small meadow at the top of the steps that lead down to the shoreline, another small mixed flock of chickadees teased me as I tried to get a photograph. A Red-breasted Nuthatch made up the bark-creeping element of this party.

We followed the steps down to the path that runs along the shore where a few more small flocks of chickadees included a Hutton’s Vireo in their number.

The waters of the bay were exceptionally quiet as well today with very little seen until we rounded the corner at the lighthouse on the point. White-crowned Sparrows fed, one drupelet at a time, from the wild blackberries that grow abundantly here.

A Caspian Tern passed us a couple of times and a Boneparte’s Gull tried to hide amongst a flock of Mew Gulls right on the edge of the bay. A couple of Common Mergansers took flight before we could get a good look.

I was especially surprised to see so few American Robins which didn’t show until the evening was drawing in and the light was fading. It wasn’t quite as dark as the sunset shot might suggest. This picture was slightly underexposed and shot with a cloudy white balance to warm it up a bit.

Bird list for Discovery Park;

Mallard 1, Common Merganser 2, Osprey 1, Bald Eagle 1, Boneparte’s Gull 1, Mew Gull 20, Glaucous-winged Gull 8, Caspian Tern 3, Northern Flicker 1, Western Wood-peewee 1, American Crow 30, Black-capped Chickadee 8, Chestnut-backed Chickadee 15, Bushtit 8, Red-breasted Nuthatch 2, Brown Creeper 4, Bewick’s Wren 2, Hutton’s Vireo 1, American Robin 5, Cedar Waxwing 6, Song Sparrow 4, White-crowned Sparrow 5.

Bus number 43 runs from 3^rd Ave and Union in downtown Seattle. The fare costs $2.25 and the timetable/map can be seen here.

For previous visits to Discovery Park, see the links below;
http://redgannet.blogspot.co.uk/2010/12/discovery-park-seattle.html
http://redgannet.blogspot.co.uk/2012/01/discovery-park-seattle-sea-january-2012.html

http://redgannet.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/discovery-park-seattle-april-2013.html

Visit the dedicated USA and Canadapage for more posts from Seattle, including; Montlake Fill and Bremerton Ferry.

Birdwatching, Birding, Seattle, WA.

Discovery Park, Seattle, April 2013

I was surprised to see that Spring was so advanced in Seattle. Today is Tuesday 16^th April and the trees here are full of leaf. Four degrees further south than London seems to make all the difference. I had come to Discovery Park on the promise that the temperature would rise to a clear-skied 10C, but the early morning cloud was keeping the sun from warming the ground.

A Pacific Wren did his level best to help me get a photo, but I couldn’t get it right. I had caught the bus no 24 and entered the park close to the Visitor Centre. My usually trusty sense of direction failed me and I ended up doing a clock-wise tour of the park.

I made my way out into the South Meadow, hoping for a majestic view out across Puget Sound to the Olympic Mountains in the far distance. It was still a bit cloudy, but I did catch a glimpse of an Osprey, closely followed by a Bald Eagle as they sped by beneath my lofty viewpoint on the cliff. I don’t think the eagle was pursuing the Osprey, they were just going the same way at the same time. There were some ducks and grebes out on the bay, but they would have to wait until I got a bit closer.

In the meantime, An Orange-crowned Warbler called from the thickets behind me. Steps lead down from the viewpoint to South Beach and the lighthouse at Westpoint.

An American Robin was feeding on the beach, head cocked, appearing to listen for movement in the seaweed. A Savannah Sparrow looked very smart amongst the driftwood, but it dropped down as I reached for my camera.

I had hoped to catch sight of the otter that I have seen here before. I caught up with it in exactly the same spot as before, but it rounded the Westpoint Lighthouse (Google Earth ref; 47°39'43.05"N 122°26'8.38"W) and headed out into the sound. As I was watching it,  a small alcid passed through my field of vision. I hoped that it was a Marbled Murrelet and had to check the book to discount any alternatives before taking a big juicy tick.

A Northern Flicker was feeding on the ground close to the lighthouse. On the northwest facing beach, I flushed a small mixed flock of Dunlins and Sanderlings and at last the temperature began to rise as the sun came out.

Having come down the steps from the viewpoint, it is necessary to go back up again. I walked along the path that skirts the water, noting Horned Grebe, Red-necked Grebe and Surf Scoter as I went. A mixed flock of gulls, crows and American Wigeon were hauled up on a quiet part of the beach. I found the stairs beyond the treatment plant, going up into Hidden Valley. The stairs are not that difficult assuming that you are not Fat, Fatigued ‘n’ Fifty. At the top, an Anna’s Hummingbird was feeding amongst the green blossoms hanging from a sycamore. It was difficult to focus on it through the rest of the foliage, but the sun managed to break through and light up his head.

Having fed, it repaired to the top of a nearby pine tree and waited, singing his scratchy song. Occasionally he would pop down for another quick feed where I was waiting for him, camera poised.

I was not ready for the Red Crossbills that landed in the tree next door. A flock of 8 flew in as I was reviewing the hummingbird’s latest feed. During my vigil, I also noted a Bushtit carrying what may be spider’s thread. His pendulous nest with the opening at the top was nearby and I am assuming that he was collecting silk for the lining as construction looked pretty much complete.

I continued on to Daybreak Indian Cultural Centre. An observation deck here usually gives a good view out across the sound, but it was taped off and warnings kept people away from the edge. Three Banded Kingfishers squabbled amongst themselves as another Bald Eagle flew over, This time it was the eagle that was harassed by a crow that took offence to his presence. 

Birds seen; 52

Brant 40, Canada Goose 1, American Wigeon 10, Mallard 3, Surf Scoter 40, Bufflehead 20, Common Goldeneye 6, Common Merganser 1,Horned Grebe 12, Red-necked Grebe 1, Double-crested Cormorant 3, Great Blue Heron 3, Osprey 2, Bald Eagle 3, Red-shouldered Hawk 1, Red-tailed Hawk 2, Killdeer 1, Sanderling 5, Dunlin 3, Mew Gull 25, Glaucous-winged Gull 10, Band-tailed Pigeon 2, Eurasian Collared Dove 4, Anna’s Hummingbird 5, Rufous Hummingbird 1, Belted Kingfisher 5, Hairy Woodpecker 1, Northern Flicker 5, Pileated Woodpecker 1, Steller’s JKay 3, American Crow 30, Violet-green Swallow 5, Black-capped Chickadee 8, Chestnut-backed Chickadee 6, Bushtit 3, Pacific Wren 2, Golden-crowned Kinglet 6, Ruby-crowned Kinglet 4, American Robin 35, Varied Thrush 2, European Starling 10, Orange-crowned Warbler 3, Yellow-rumped Warbler 3, Spotted Towhee 3, Savannah Sparrow 1, Fox Sparrow 1, Song Sparrow 15, White-crowned Sparrow 15, Dark-eyed Junco 3, Red-winged Blackbird 2, Red Crossbill 9, Pine Siskin 8.

The bus no 33 to Discovery Park leaves from 3^rd St and Union, it stops at the North Parking Lot (Google Earth ref;  47°39'52.54"N 122°24'39.46"W) close to the Daybreak Indian Cultural Centre. No 24 also leaves from the same stop, but turns off just before the park entrance.

For previous posts from Discovery Park, follow the links below;

http://redgannet.blogspot.co.uk/2010/12/discovery-park-seattle.html

http://redgannet.blogspot.co.uk/2012/01/discovery-park-seattle-sea-january-2012.html

Visit the dedicated USA and Canada Page for more posts from Seattle, including the Waterfront and Montlake Fill

Discovery Park, Seattle, SEA, January 2012

An irruption of Snowy Owls has given me a focus for my North American trips this winter. At Boundary Bay, just South of Vancouver, observers are reporting them by the dozen! www.ebird.org contributors have recorded sightings of up to 30 at at time during the first week of 2012 and I was headed for Seattle, just 100 miles or so south, as the Bubo flies.

Sighting numbers around Seattle can't hold a light to those at Boundary Bay and are distant from the city without easy public transport access. Without enough time to book a twitching car, I chose Discovery Park as the best likelyhood. There are recent historical records of Snowy Owls here, but Ebird was not ebullient about my chances. As you might judge from the list below, it was a quiet day and I found myself taking an interest in the moss and lichen to while away the time between birds.

It was a drab, damp day when the light finally began to filter through into the misty morning. The bus had arrived about 20 minutes before sun up and dropped me at the North car park (Google Earth ref; 47 39 53N 122 24 39W ). I took a short stroll along the road opposite, marked Bernie Whitebear. A couple of other roads led to a dead-end in a small residential area.on the northern headland. I hoped to catch a few late refrains from a Barred Owl perhaps that is said to be resident in the park. The first sounds came from a Song Sparrow with what sounded like a Bald eagle in the distance. I was unsure about the eagle, do they start calling before it gets light?

The road brought me round to the Daybreak Star Indian Cultural Center where the first visual identification of a bird put American Robin at the top of my list. The light was just peeking through as the eagle flew over my head and out across Shilsole Bay to meet its mate on a buoy out on the water.The viewpoint here gives a great view out across the bay, or would do if the visibility was good. Sealions that sounded exactly like the ones from San Francisco's Fisherman's Wharf were playing near the shoreline. As Steller's Sealion seldom barks, I came to the conclusion that these were Californian Sealions.

A road leads south from the Cultural center climbing the slope toards the meadow. Animals have worn trails into the forest along the road and walking paths cros it. At last, I ran into a small party of birds consisting of American Robins, Varied Thrush, Spotted Towhee, Golden Crowned Kinglet and Brown Creeper. A small flock of Pine Siskins were feeding, silhouetted in the top of an Alder.

The Loop Trail crosses a quiet road that drops down to the lighthouse at West Point. I hadn't seen much from the viewpoint, so there didn't seem much point in trekking all the way down the hill and back up again. View points in the meadow looking out over Puget Sound were also disappointing. Cliffs here afford a good vantage point to view the water and J Pod, the resident Orca family had been playing with the ferries the previous day. No sign now though, sadly.

A group of Birders from the Seattle Audobon Society were conducting a monthly point count. I had hoped that they might have had more luck than me, but they bemoaned that fact that it was a quiet morning. They were very helpful and pleasant, but confirmed what I probably already knew that my chances of seeing a Snowy Owl were marginal. One had been sighted closeby before Christmas, but had not been seen again since. Ah well, I have another chance in New York next week.

Lee Barnes was also able smooth my furrowed brow concerning the Northwest/American Crow conundrum and most people take American Crow in Discovery Park. He told me later that he found a few Snowy Owls at Damon Point, Ocean Shores and I am hoping that he will send me a picture for an otherwise disappointingly illustrated post.
A bird list for Discovery Park can be found at this link. It is rather more impressive than my paltry collection below.

Birds seen; 17

Horned Grebe 4, Double-crested Cormorant 3, Bald Eagle 2, Sharp-shinned Hawk 1, Red-tailed Hawk 2, Glaucous-winged Gull 3, Northern Flicker 1, American Robin 25, Varied Thrush 2, Golden-crowned Kinglet 3, Black-capped Chickadee 6, Brown Creeper 1, American Crow 20, Pine Sikin 14, Spotted Towhee 2, Song Sparrow 6, Dark-eyed Junco 4.

The bus no 33 to Discovery Park leaves from 3^rd St and Union, it stops at the North Parking Lot (Google Earth ref;  47°39'52.54"N 122°24'39.46"W) close to the Daybreak Indian Cultural Centre. No 24 also leaves from the same stop, but turns off just before the park entrance. At weekends, they run once an hour. During the week the service is more frequent, but less regular. You can pick up a timetable on the bus or look up route 33 at www.kingcounty.gov/tripplanner

For other posts from Discovery Park and other sites in Seattle, follow the links below;
http://redgannet.blogspot.com/2010/12/discovery-park-seattle.html
http://redgannet.blogspot.com/2009/07/last-night-i-took-quick-run-down-to.html
http://redgannet.blogspot.com/2009/12/montlake-fill-seattle.html
http://redgannet.blogspot.com/2010/10/seattle-ferry-to-bremerton.html

Visit the dedicated USA and Canada page for more from the North American continent.

Discovery Park, Seattle

The clouds looked fit to burst. Like an excited child wriggling on the edge of its seat, it was clear that soon it would be wet. Chancing my day to the meteorological equivalent of a weak bladder may have been risky, but what else would I do on an early Friday morning in Seattle?

I caught the bus out to Discovery Park to the north-west of the city and was dropped at the north car park, just beyond the military base at 08.30. Plenty of Ruby-crowned Kinglets and a single Song Sparrow were feeding in and around the vegetation here.

The sparrow had rings which may be of interest to someone.

A pair of Bald Eagles flew over calling plaintively. On the grass, a flock of American Robins were feeding, but closer inspection revealed a couple of slightly smaller Varied Thrushes.

2 years ago I met up with Charlie from 10000 Birds in Vancouver where we went looking for Varied Thrush.

I wanted to submit a picture of Charlie with a chickadee to his website, but didn’t have a blog from which to link, so I committed Redgannet. If you are looking for someone to blame, then he’s your man.

In homage, this one is for Charlie.

Red shafted Flickers were also feeding in the very wet grass and close by. I remember coming here once before and it was so wet then that I wondered if it would ever dry out. Sure enough, 4 years later, it is still sodden. But moss does well here.

On the cliff edge beyond the Indian centre is a platform that commands a wonderful view of Shilshole Bay close in and Puget Sound beyond. Foolishly hoping to see Orcas, I had a good scan around, but had to make do with a Harbour Seal to open my mammals list for the day. The birds were better represented with Red-breasted Mergansers being the most abundant, closely followed by Common Goldeneye. Western and Horned Grebes were common too with a few Surf Scoters and Double-crested Cormorants further out.

A Winter Wren called from a dense bush and I managed to pish him out for a quick look. So this is the new Pacific (Western Winter) Wren, Troglodytes pacificus is it? This is a newly named species after a three-way split this year from Winter (Eastern Winter) Wren, Troglodytes hiemalis and Eurasian Wren which retains the original Troglodytes troglodytes. I have not had it writ in red as my software hasn't been updated yet, so I can't enter it on the list.

The eagles called again as they flew out over the bay. They gained height then slammed into one another, locked talons and spiralled down towards the water, breaking out of the hold at the last moment before flying off around the headland. I am assuming this to be a pair-bonding routine by the resident pair, though a territorial bird may engage a rival in this way too. The pair was perched atop a tree as I made my way towards the steps leading down to the shore. As a note, if you go down, you will have to climb back up again, one way or another. A Bewick's Wren responded to some more pishing in the damp woods by the last flight of steps.

The clouds were hanging on and even seemed to be thinning a little as I came out onto a tiny beach at the bottom of the steps. North Beach Trail runs along the water’s edge towards the charming lighthouse at the western most point of the park.

Gulls were over-flying, including this first winter Short-billed Gull, the American form of the Mew Gull.. Horned Grebe were plentiful and quite close to the rocky reinforced shoreline. Low bushes give a bit of cover and allowed me to hide from a Common Goldeneye until she got close enough for a photo. A small fresh water pond held some Mallard, American Wigeon, Gadwall and Northern Shoveler.

The beach is littered with huge timbers that would be a hazard to shipping if they hadn’t been washed up. As I sat on one for a while to take in the view, I was thrilled to notice three River Otters swim by. One had a flatfish and was swimming ahead of the other two. The lead otter kept checking behind to ensure that the others were following. 

 I am not too familiar with otter family dynamics, but I am guessing that it was a female with two youngsters. The younger ones had a moment of mischief when they chased a flock of scaup and put them to flight. Greater Scaup are the more expected bird here usually, but the white in the secondaries, not extending into the primaries, makes me think Lesser Scaup.

Two other birds on the flat calm waters of the bay were Pigeon Guillemot and Rhinoceros Auklet.

The clouds had thinned out now and the threat of rain had passed. It was reasonably mild and a Song Sparrow was limbering up for Spring.

Having come down the steps to the shore, I was condemned to climbing back up. The South Beach Trail ascends the bluff to the meadow. A platform halfway up gave a beautiful view of the lighthouse. The sun even peeked out for a moment. The meadow area was quiet today, but apparently it comes into its own during the summer and Barn Owls are said to patrol the rough grass here. A bird party was feeding in the conifers near the Emerson St entrance (Bus 24 stops here). Black-capped and Chestnut-backed Chickadees were joined by Gold-crowned Kinglets which seemed to have replaced the rubies in this habitat.

By now, I was back on the Loop Trail which, as the name suggests, runs in a loop on the high ground of the park, avoiding the steps (but also the otters). Eventually this led me to the Visitor Center at the east gate. Maps are available from dispensers at each car park and the centre. A couple of useful links with maps and bird list are given below;

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Discovery_Park_(Seattle)

http://www.cityofseattle.net/parks/Environment/DiscoveryParkBirds.pdf

A 10000 Birds post about Caspian Terns at the park is here;

http://10000birds.com/caspian-terns.htm

Other posts from Seattle can be found on the USA specific page as below;

 http://redgannet.blogspot.com/p/posts-from-usa-and-canada.html

Yellow-rumped Warbler

The bus no 33 to Discovery Park leaves from 3^rd St and Union, it stops at the North Parking Lot (Google Earth ref;  47°39'52.54"N 122°24'39.46"W) close to the Daybreak Indian Cultural Centre. No 24 also leaves from the same stop, but turns off just before the park entrance. At weekends, they run once an hour. During the week the service is more frequent, but less regular. You can pick up a timetable on the bus or look up route 33 at www.kingcounty.gov/tripplanner

Bird species; 35

Horned Grebe 25, Western Grebe 8, Double-crested Cormorant 10, American Wigeon 10, Gadwall 2, Mallard 10, Northern Shoveler 8, Lesser Scaup 10, Surf Scoter 15, Bufflehead 6, Common Goldeneye 35, Red-breasted Merganser 50, Bald Eagle 2, Short-billed Gull 15, Glaucous-winged Gull 8, Pigeon Guillemot 1, Rhinoceros Auklet 4, Anna’s Hummingbird 2, Northern Flicker 10, Pileated Woodpecker 3, Bewick’s Wren 2, Pacific Wren 1, American Robin 25, Varied Thrush 2, Golden-crowned Kinglet 6, Ruby-crowned Kinglet 15, Bushtit 25, Black-capped Chickadee 6, Chestnut-backed Chickadee 4, American Crow 150, Common Starling 15, Yellow-rumped Warbler 6, Spotted Towhee 6, Song Sparrow 4, Golden-crowned Sparrow 6.

Mammal species; 2

Harbour Seal 6, River Otter 3.

Discovery Park, Seattle

Crows, gulls and confusion

Last night, I took a quick run down to the seafront while there was still a bit of light left. Seattle downtown looks out over Puget Sound and usually has a fair selection of gulls.
During the summer, most of them head north to breed, but Glaucous winged gulls are resident and were in good supply.Some were coming in to roost and the Seattle Aquarium appeared to be a popular spot for them.

Can you spot the little Photoshop twist?
This morning, I am planning to go to the University district.

Montlake Fill was created last century when a canal was built to link Lake Washington with the inlet. The level of the lake dropped nine feet and a soggy parcel of land rose from the waters. It took its name from it’s original use as a landfill site, but now goes by the more appealing, Union Bay Natural Area. It is run with an adaptive management policy which responds to the dynamic nature of the habitat.It consists of small pockets of prairie and woodland with ponds, set beside the lowered Lake Washington. At this time of year, the prairies are bursting with flowers.The shoreline is fringed with reeds and water-lilies. Overlooking the area is the stadium for the Washington University football team, The Huskies.
Bus no 43 leaves downtown Seattle from the corner of 6th and Pike at around 05.30. The concierge at the adjacent Seattle Sheraton Hotel holds timetables for all buses. It takes approx 25 mins to reach the stadium (fare $1.75), moments after crossing the canal.
Birds were evident almost immediately this morning. American Robins and American Crows were the first to be seen. I followed the canal west towards the boat club. The bushes along the path were alive with chatter, hosting a party of Black-capped Chickadees and Bushtits. More robins and some Starlings were on the lawns by the stadium. Rowers were out on the water already, sculling between small flocks of Canada Geese and Mallard. I cut through the boat club and headed north along the lakeshore. Pontoons act as moorings and landing stages and I followed the urge to take a walk along one. A Great Blue Heron was picking it’s way towards me. Despite having seen me, it continued to approach. It was a very dull morning, so I had not yet taken my camera from the rucksack. A racoon flushed from the water’s edge and scrambled up a gnarly old willow. Cedar Waxwings and a spectacular male American Goldfinch eventually coaxed me to get the camera out before the light was really adequate.
A metalled road runs around the back of the stadium, heading north. I followed this beyond another boat club and turned to the right. Crows and Red-winged Blackbirds suddenly started making a lot of noise. A Bald Eagle flew over mobbed by the smaller birds.
A very approachable Song Sparrow sat for a picture by a wooden bridge.A Northern Shoveller and her brood of 7 shovelings were feeding in the stream as I crossed.
Now I was entering the Union Bay Natural Area. A well maintained path forms a loop around the main part of the reserve and I elected to go anticlockwise. House Finches and robins perched on a dead tree. Suddenly there was more commotion and I looked round hoping to see the eagle again. This time though, it was a Cooper’s Hawk. A pugnacious Anna’s Hummingbird, possibly 100th of the size (by mass) of a Cooper’s Hawk joined the robins and blackbirds to see it off.
After the hawk flew off, closely escorted by 2 blackbirds, I noticed an empidonax flycatcher on a branch of a willow tree. It was showing well and was singing. Normally, being both lazy and incompetent, I would give empids a cursory glance and then pretend I hadn’t seen it, but here was one that might be identified by it’s song. I recorded it on my dictaphone and tried to memorise it before looking it up. “Fits peeoo” was my best interpretation. “Fitz bew” from NG and “Rrritz-beyew” from Sibley was close enough. Add the fact that it was singing from a willow and I couldn’t avoid the fact that I had successfully identified an empid! A Willow Flycatcher.
A nearby pond held a Pied-billed Grebe with 2 chicks and beyond it, a Marsh Wren sang from the reeds. I enjoyed the wren’s exuberant show for quite a while, amused as it danced around the top of a reed mace head, singing to all points as it went. Common Yellowthroat lived up to their name today. They were as common as I have ever seen them with 5 males seen and others heard. Only the females came out for a picture though. I followed a path round to the water’s edge. From here I could see 2 Bald Eagles way across the lake. Closer though were 2 local birders, Constance and Amy.
When Constance said she lived “here”, I assumed at first that she meant Seattle. But later it became apparent that she meant Montlake Fill. She has been birding on the reserve since the 80’s and cannot bring herself to adopt the new name.
As a great believer in local knowledge (I discovered that Constance is writing a book about the reserve), I wanted to tap her for some information about the gulls of the area which regularly hybridise. She threw my whole Seattle list into dis-array with her answers.
The “hybrid swarm” has been sent to challenge experienced birders of the Pacific North West and to confound beginners and visitors. A number of already similar and challenging gulls such as American Herring, Glaucous, Glaucous-winged and Thayer’s, exchange genes and physical characteristics to a bewildering degree.
I am usually very strict with myself before adding a bird to my life list, but once the tick has been entered, sorting through confusing birds becomes less critical and a “most likely” guess is adequate. I accept that this could potentially lead to a few mis-identifications, but I have to strike a balance between being reasonable and being anal.
Constance threw my lifers into doubt. She suggested that there are very few “pure” gulls around and that most of the NW gulls have contaminated genes.
A question occurred to me later that I wish I had asked: If there are only a few pure birds around, who is doing the breeding?
It is my understanding that hybrid off-spring are supposed to be sterile and incapable of subsequent breeding. Birds who are mating extraspecially are putting all their efforts into chicks that will be unable to continue the genetic line. Would this not eventually lead to local extinction? Did I understand her correctly in the first place? If you are reading Constance, there is a comments section at the bottom of the post.
Then she dropped the bombshell about the crows. If you have not visited North America, there are 2 crows which to all intents and purposes, are indistinguishable from each other. The American Crow and the North-western Crow are best identified, so I thought, by range. All my field guides tell me that they are almost mutually exclusive, although there is no physical geographical reason for this. According to Sibley et al, Seattle is within the North-west Crow’s distribution area and excludes the American Crow, but the local cognoscenti believe that the NW Crow exists only in small remote pockets and that the common corvid of Seattle is in fact, the American Crow.
There are supporters of the NW Crow and rival American Crow supporters with the threat of fisticuffs when the factions meet. The disputed reasons hinge on the crossover of size and voice which could go either way. So I shall have to reconsider NW Crows and their status on my Seattle list. Are the ones from Vancouver safe I wonder?
I walked with Constance and Amy for a while. We found a bushtits' nest hanging from a large tree. The bushtits had been disturbed during their first attempt at nest-building but had returned to try again and looked to be doing well. We passed the eastern pond which held some Kildeer and Least Sandpiper. Constance was full of information and advised on ID techniques for Least Sandpipers. Yellow legs and a middling brown not swaying either towards red or grey. I left them shortly after, but not before getting a useful site called “tweeter”, a forum for Pacific NW birders. Google Tweeter if you are heading that way.
I was pointed in a new direction by Constance and Amy and found a part of the reserve that I had not explored before. Amongst some bushes a Spotted Towhee churred and a Northern Flicker flashed it’s red undertail. A Lazuli Bunting had been reported and was breeding nearby, but I missed it.
The reserve only covers a very small area, but it had taken me nearly 4 hours to complete the loop. I suspect that if one was walking a dog it would take 45 minutes from the bus stop and back. But it was back to the bus stop for me now and just before I put my camera away, I got a really close shot of a crow. Any ideas? Even the crow looks unsure.

Species list 36;
Pied-billed Grebe 6, Great Blue Heron 7, Canada Goose 30, Wood Duck 2, Northern Shoveler 8, Osprey 1, Bald Eagle 2, Cooper’s Hawk 1, Killdeer 9, Least Sandpiper 7, Glaucous-winged Gull 12, Vaux’s Swift 6, Anna’s Hummingbird 2, Belted Kingfisher 1, Northern Flicker 8, Willow Flycatcher 1, Tree Swallow 80, Violet green Swallow 5, Barn Swallow 25, Cliff Swallow 120, Cedar Waxwing 6, Marsh Wren 3, American Robin 20, Bushtit 20, Black-capped Chickadee 15, American Crow 60, Common Starling 6, House Finch 35, American Goldfinch 15, Common Yellowthroat, 8, Spotted Towhee 1, Savannah Sparrow 8, Song Sparrow 12, White-crowned Sparrow 8, Red-winged Blackbird 20.